As we turn the calendar to a new year, Alcohol Change UK encourages everyone to kick off 2024 with Dry January. The campaign encourages participants to reset and “take on 31 days alcohol-free”.
Why? There are myriad benefits to giving up alcohol, even for just one month. Dry January is an opportunity to reset your body and mind, and you’ll likely experience better sleep, improved mental health and concentration, brighter skin, and, of course, an “amazing sense of achievement”. In addition, more than 85% of Dry January participants report saving money.
Launched in 2013 with 4,000 participants, Dry January has grown to more than 175,000 participants last year with a goal to engage 200,000 people this month. Will you be one of them?
In addition to reaping the benefits of an alcohol-free month, Alcohol Change UK offers key lessons for all types of charities. Read on and tap into these lessons as you chart your own fundraising campaigns for the year ahead. Cheers!
Why is the Dry January campaign so successful?
As we mentioned above, Dry January has grown from 4,000 participants to nearly 200,000 in just over ten years. Here’s just a few reasons why this campaign—and others—have had such longevity and impact. We hope you’ll think about the relevance of these lessons for your own charity and your upcoming fundraising activities.
- Dry January is time-bound. The challenge spans the entire calendar month—no more, no less. With time-bound challenges like Dry January, it’s easy to set clear expectations and goals for participants, as well as to clearly communicate the concept to prospective participants. The Movember Foundation’s “Movember” campaign is another example of a successful time-bound challenge—it asks participants to grow a moustache and raise money to support men’s health during the month of November.
- Dry January is personal. The campaign is largely an appeal to abstinence; it promotes the myriad benefits of going alcohol-free. However, the campaign also provides an opportunity for participants to undertake a deeply personal challenge. Successful campaigns like Dry January draw a clear connection between the challenge itself and how a participant will benefit personally, beyond their contribution to a charity or cause. For example, Alcohol Change UK offers a quiz to help people see if they understand the true impact of alcohol. This tool is just one way to help people understand how the challenge may impact their own life and well-being.
- Dry January appeals to everyone. With Dry January, anyone (of legal drinking age) can get involved! Also, Alcohol Change UK charges no fee to participate in Dry January. Keep in mind that we’re experiencing a cost of living crisis. Sometimes even a nominal fee to participate can be a barrier for many people and families. Instead, save fees for other fundraising activities for which you need to offset costs, such as a gala dinner for your charity or an in-person 5K challenge. (And if you do charge a fee, consider gifting branded merchandise from your charity as a special thank you to participants.)
- Dry January provides everything you need. The challenge boasts quite the toolkit, from the Try Dry mobile app to track and set custom goals to the Try Dry podcast to coaching emails to help you “supercharge” your month, which feature tips and stories from other participants. Participants want to succeed. Help ensure a positive and rewarding experience by providing the tools and information a participant needs to succeed.
- Top Tips from a Decade-Long Campaign
There’s so much to like about the Dry January campaign! Here, we highlight three share-worthy lessons from this campaign. You can adopt every one of these strategies into your own future fundraising activities.
Fundraising Lessons from Dry January
Create a clear connection between the campaign and your charity.
When you have a campaign as well-known as Dry January, it’s essential that people know that your charity is the force behind it. For example, one way that Alcohol Change UK does this is by embedding their charity name in the Dry January logo.Ideally, the benefits of a successful campaign will extend far beyond the end of the challenge. Look for ways to draw a clear through-line from your charity to your campaigns, old and new. This may include strategic branding, communications, design, and merchandise.
Launch special incentives for fundraisers.
Encouraging people to fundraise is a key component of a successful, long-running campaign. With Dry January, everyone who signs up gets a welcome letter and a wristband. But Alcohol Change UK offers a way to take this even further. You can celebrate your own achievement—or that of someone else—by purchasing a special gift in the Alcohol Change UK online shop. For example, you can order a pin badge for various milestones, like a branded pin badge when someone gets 10 donations, a t-shirt for 15 donations, or a mug for 20 donations.
This is especially important because we know that retaining a donor is more cost-effective than soliciting donations from a first-time supporter. Look for ways to get your supporters engaged year-round so they continue to participate in your campaigns in the long-term. This might include special communications, personalised updates, or branded merchandise for gifts or purchase. Happy participants are also keen to spread the word to friends and family which can help you connect with new supporters.
Tap into hybrid events.
Dry January has typically been a virtual fundraising event, which allows nearly anyone to participate. But in 2023, the charity launched Shoreditch Dry, an in-person, alcohol-free evening to raise money to reduce alcohol harm. The special meetup welcomed people to London for an in-person, fun, and “dry” event, complete with an alcohol-free bar, raffle, and dance music by a sober female DJ!
Even with limited resources or budget, you can still plan a special in-person get-together that takes place during your time-bound challenge. Just take a note from Dry January and cater to the motivations and passions of your participants. Get creative and seek support from others, including partnerships with like-minded charities or in-kind donations from local businesses.
We hope this post inspires you to take part in Dry January, this year or in the future. You’ll likely be hooked after you experience some of the mind, body, and pocket-book benefits of going dry. We also hope this post illuminates just what makes this campaign so successful, and how you can apply some of the lessons and tips in your own upcoming fundraising campaigns. What do you have planned for the year ahead? Please reach out anytime and let us know how we can be of help to you. Cheers!